Last-Minute Application Tips

It's winter break and despite your grand plans of finishing your applications early and kicking back with hot chocolate and a good book, you're stuck at your computer trying to come up with 500 words on what kind of kitchen appliance you would choose to be and why.  Don't worry -- you're not alone.  And there's still hope.  Here's what you need to know as you're finishing up your Common Application and Supplement.

• Keep a checklist.  Not only will this help you keep track of what you need to submit and when, but then you can enjoy the highly motivating sensation of crossing items off your to-do list. 
• Pay attention to your "Why Mudd" essay.  We want to make sure you've done your research about Mudd and understand our academics, but we also want to know how you envision yourself melding with our community.  We often read these answers aloud in committee just because "fit" is so important to us.  Whatever else you skimp on, this shouldn't be it.
• Skip the separate resume.  The Common Application activities section should be adequate for the vast majority of students.  Why waste two hours formatting a separate resume when you could use that time for your essays?
• Anticipate the questions someone reading your application might ask.  If there's anything that might seem unusual -- a change of high school, a blip in grades, trying out for the volleyball team senior year -- please don't hesitate to explain.  That's what the "Additional Information" section of the Common Application is for!  The only thing we ask is that you don't use the essay space for this purpose.
• No matter how rushed you feel, don't forget to proofread.  When you're balancing ten applications it's easy to let a "Stanford" linger in a "Caltech" essay or forget to replace an "Amherst" with a "Williams."  Bribe a friend or a relative to glance over your essays and applications one last time before hitting submit.

Merry Christmas, Geek-Style

 Image from gadgettastic.com

Closing up for Christmas

The Office of Admission will be closed for the winter holidays starting December 23.  We'll be back well-rested and plumped up on eggnog on January 3.  While we're tickled pink by the prospect of vacation, this means that the college will be closed to visitors during this time.

It also means that if you have any questions about applying to Mudd, you should ask them now; we won't be back to check e-mail or answer phones until after the admission deadline.

And as for the mail bins full of application materials that will await us upon our return . . . well, that is something perhaps best left uncontemplated.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Techie celebrities and matching outfits

Here's a face you might recognize:

 But what's that stylish garment he's sporting?  What about that logo seems so familiar?

Wait, what's Lowell wearing here?

Can it be?  Lowell and Bill Gates wearing identical outfits?

Yup.  This is what happens when HMC's President, Maria Klawe, joins the board of Microsoft -- HMC T-shirts hit the big leagues!  

The Amazing T-Shirt Contest doesn't end until January, but I'm pretty sure Maria's got the "best photo with someone famous" category in the bag.

(Thanks for being such a good sport, Lowell!)

Founder's Day

In celebration of Founder's Day at HMC I thought it might be fun to post a quick quiz the college created for the event.  Let's see just how much you know about our namesake!

1) Which of the following is NOT true about the college's namesake?
    A. Harvey Mudd's father, Seeley W. Mudd, and son, Henry T. Mudd, were mining engineers.
    B. Harvey Mudd never knew of the founding of the college that bears his name.
    C. Harvey Mudd graduated from Los Angeles High School.
    D. Harvey Mudd was assistant secretary of the War Minerals Committee during World War I.

2) Harvey Mudd College colors were chosen by the first group of ASHMC officers and approved by the college administration.  Black, gold and white was the final decision, but which of the following colors was also in the running?
    A. Powder blue
    B. Green
    C. Auburn
    D. Grey

3) During the shortest elevator ride on campus, you'll travel 2 feet, 6 inches from the lounge to the first floor in which building?
    A. Sprague Library
    B. Sontag Residence Hall
    C. Linde Activities Center
    D. Case Residence Hall

4) The bronze bust of Henry T. Mudd -- located in the Galileo Foyer -- was commissioned in 1987 to honor Mudd's role as an ardent supporter and chair of the HMC Board of Trustees for 23 years.  The sculptor was Lewis Cohen.  For many years after installation, students:
    A. Placed textbooks next to the bust for good luck prior to finals week.
    B. Would attempt to recreate the bust using everything from plastic to wood products.
    C. Rubbed Henry's nose for luck before they entered Galileo Hall for an examination.
    D. Used the bust in pranks (such as removing it or turning the bust in a different direction).

(Warts)

5) True or False: The Campus contains more than 25,000 warts.

6) True or False: There are three species of squirrels on campus.

7) Where did Harvey S. Mudd earn his college degree?

8) What was Harvey S. Mudd's first job?

9) What were the names of Harvey S. Mudd's parents?

10) What is Harvey S. Mudd's birth date?

HMC's first computer: an IBM 1620.

Answers: 1) Actually, all of the statements about Harvey Mudd are true.  2) A. Powder blue.  3) B. Sontag Residence Hall.  4) C. Rubbed Henry's nose for luck before they entered Galileo Hall for an examination.  5) True.  With 789 on Sontag Residence Hall and 827 on Hoch-Shanahan Dining Commons, the buildings now contain more than 25,000 warts (the protruding, square cement blocks that decorate the building facades).  The only building without them (so far!) is the F.W. Olin Science Center.  6) False.  There are two species of squirrels on campus.  The gray colored ones that mostly occupy the trees are Western Gray Squirrels (Sciurus griseus).  The tan colored ones that live on the ground and dig burrows (especially behind Thomas-Garrett Hall) are California Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi).  7) After two years at Stanford University (1906 to 1908), Harvey Mudd entered the School of Mines at Columbia University and received his degree in 1912.  8) His first job was mucking (removing mud or dirt) in the Bisbee, AZ mines.  9) Seeley Wintersmith Mudd and Della Mulock Mudd.  10) August 30, 1888.  (That makes him a Virgo, in case you were wondering.)

ED Committee

We buckled down on Friday and managed to discuss most of our Early Decision applications. Can you spot all five open packages of chips & cookies on the committee table? No wonder we were ready to power through the entire group. If all goes well, we'll mail our letters tomorrow. Stay patient and we'll have news for you soon!

DecemberFest

Confession time: in the past week, I've spent a total of about an hour in my office.  I've been completely wrapped up in an annual event called DecemberFest, which is a program for high school counselors sponsored by nine colleges (the 5C's plus Caltech, Oxy, Whittier, and Redlands).  This year we had counselors from 48 schools and community-based organizations across the country, all in SoCal for a week of college visits, networking and lots (and lots) of eating.  This is my second year in charge of DecemberFest, and while it's great fun running the program, my job has not recently resembled "admission counselor" so much as "den mother, wedding planner, portable ATM, and carrier of large boxes." 

Among the unusual/entertaining things I got to do during the planning and execution of D-fest:

• Spend 45 minutes debating the merits of Oreo v. New York cheesecake
• Use a microphone approximately 467 times
• See a mini version of a favorite HMC class, "Building Los Angeles"
• Conduct "research" in the Costco sample aisles
• Max out Thyra's credit card paying for an elegant dinner at Harvard Square Cafe

And if all those aspects weren't delightful enough, the dinner at the end of the program was the icing on the cake.  The high school counselors rewrote the lyrics to a couple of Christmas tunes and treated the college staff to songs about our campuses; Falone organized a quiz show with questions about each of the colleges and the counselors competed for dollar store prizes including the coveted tome "Six Degrees of Paris Hilton" (Shady Side Academy students, be prepared -- this could soon pop up in your school library).

This year we had an especially great group of participating counselors; they could not have been more gracious throughout the program or more intensely competitive on game show night.  So naturally, next year we want to have a cohort that's just as amazing.  Okay, students, time to weigh in -- who would you want us to invite to DecemberFest?  Do you have a counselor you think would enjoy and benefit from a week visiting nine California colleges?  Let us know in the comments section!

The reading process

Admission files are typically evaluated by our highly trained professional staff.

Lailah Serna is not impressed with your ACT scores.

Sometimes we outsource.

 

ED continues (despite distractions)

I'm still caught up with the program I referenced in my last e-mail (details will follow after it finishes, I promise -- it's the one that required all of those boxes to be carted to Pasadena) but I wanted to check in quickly to talk about Early Decision Round 1.  Because it's happening.  Soon.

Like Santa we're checking our files and reading them twice.  You should already know that we make our decisions as a full committee.  In our case, that committee is relatively small so we each have ample opportunity to voice our opinions and come to a consensus about each applicant.  Endless discussions about possibilities and policies around a seminar-style table -- it's a liberal arts grad's dream come true. 

Be forewarned, this kind of conversation takes time.  Which is why the response date of December 15 is a mailing deadline, not a receive-by.  If all goes well, we'll mail our decision letters on the 13th or 14th, and they should be in your hands not long afterwards.  In the meantime, wish us luck and plenty of Pirate's Booty for our committee discussions on Friday.

What my office looks like now

I'm preparing for a big off-campus program right now, and while I'm never the tidiest person in the world, this is extreme, even for me.

Here we have tote bags, binders, nametags, admission files, maps, processed foods purchased in bulk, microphone speaker packs, a label maker, a picnic set, and my ever-present electric kettle.

Somehow nearly all of these items need to be corralled in an organized fashion and stowed in my Honda by 9:30 am tomorrow morning.

It's going to be a long night.